DISTEMPERING 113 



Walls to be distempered should be clean and smooth, and new 

 plaster-work should be quite dry before the distemper is applied to it. 

 Before being water-painted the walls should be given a coat of glue 

 size. When this is dry, apply the distemper with a broad flat brush, 

 starting at the top of the walls and working downwards. In order 

 to work the distemper well into the inequalities in the surface of the 

 plaster, the brush should be wielded in all directions, not merely up 

 and down. 



Re-distempering. — In the case of re-distempering old walls no size 

 need be used, but the wall should be thoroughly cleaned with a 

 hard brush before the distemper is applied. Nail holes, etc., may be 

 stopped with a little paste, made with the distemper-powder which is 

 to be used and water. Bigger holes must be filled with lime mortar. 



Glue Size. — Glue size is made by placing a piece of glue in the 

 glue-pot and covering it with water. When the glue melts it is thinned 

 by the addition of more water, so forming size. A pound of glue 

 makes about a gallon of size. 



